


The Most Ungrateful Girl

by Jassmine



Series: The Starling and the Rake [5]
Category: Mansfield Park (1999), Mansfield Park - Jane Austen
Genre: Canon Compliant, Character Study, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Feelings, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Introspection, Self-Esteem Issues, Working Out My Feelings Through Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:15:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24026470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jassmine/pseuds/Jassmine
Summary: “I can never be important to any one,” claimed Fanny and meant it with all her heart, because really if no one cared about her so far; if no one cared from those who was supposed to care the most; if no one from her family cared, there surely must have been something wrong with her.I am not that far in the book, but Fanny's character astonishes me. She is so tough even though she doesn’t look the part at the first sight. This is mostly interpretation of Chapter III.
Relationships: Edmund Bertram & Fanny Price, Henry Crawford/Fanny Price
Series: The Starling and the Rake [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726675
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17





	The Most Ungrateful Girl

**Author's Note:**

> Please note, that English isn't my first language and I don't have a beta. So, I will be glad for all your suggestions and comments on grammar (or whatever else you feel like commenting).
> 
> This is mostly interpretation of one scene from Chapter III - I am fascinated by their whole conversation and I just keep returning back to it. Because... I mostly get Fanny's side of it, but Edmund? He is replying... kindly, but I would expect him to say other things. I just don't understand him at all.
> 
> Edit: I forget to say, that it contains direct quotes from Mansfield Park - esentially I didn't wrote what they are saying, just the interpretation behind it.

“I can never be important to any one,” claimed Fanny and meant it with all her heart, because really if no one cared about her so far; if no one cared from those who was supposed to care the most; if no one from her family cared, there surely must have been something wrong with her.

“What is to prevent you?” asked Edmund. (Instead of just saying that she was important to him, but Fanny would never dare to even thought such a blasphemy.)

And she wanted to say; _How could I know? Don’t you think that if I knew I would try to be better?_ But she couldn’t say those things to him, like she didn’t know her own faults, like she was too proud to admit her own mistakes. So instead she replied “Everything. My situation, my foolishness, and awkwardness.”

“As to your foolishness and awkwardness, my dear Fanny, believe me, you never have a shadow of either, but in using the words so improperly. There is no reason in the world why you should not be important where you are known. You have good sense, and a sweet temper, and I am sure you have a grateful heart, that could never receive kindness without wishing to return it. I do not know and better qualification for a friend and companion.” He probably thought it obvious she was dear to him. How could she possibly not know that? He underestimated how much her heart was battered. He wasn’t paying enough close attention, but who could blame him for that. He was an adult with his own affairs to attend to and she was just a fifteen years old emotional child who was afraid to move to the house across the park.

Fanny listened to such praise holding her breath. No one ever talked that kindly to her as Edmund did. But nevertheless, his speech left her with painful pang in her chest, because he didn’t say – even once – that she was important to him. And if she wasn’t important even to Edmund who surely was the kindest being on Earth, how could she ever be important to any one? She resolutely banished the hurt feelings out of her heart. It was so nice of him, to say all of hose things even though she wasn’t sure if she should believe him, she did not consider herself grateful. She wasn’t at all that grateful as she should have been. She should be happy just living at Mansfield Park. Sir Thomas had done so much for her and her brothers and it wasn’t enough for her. She wanted kindness and love, she wanted to be important to anyone. She was the most ungrateful girl alive!

It isn’t really that surprising that Fanny – who believed herself of no big importance to Edmund who was always good and kind to her – couldn’t believe that Henry Crawford – who paid her no attention at all when he met her – loved her. Because really, she can never be important to any one…

**Author's Note:**

> I am really fascinated by Fanny’s and Edmund’s relationship. Because on one hand he really is kind to her and go out of his way for her more than other of her family members do. But I have suspicion it’s mostly because of his moral reasoning and doing what is right than caring for Fanny. Don’t get me wrong he cares for her, but he really doesn’t try to understand her… (That’s just my hypotheses for now, I must read more to form stronger opinion.)  
> I feel like this one is a little inconsistent and conditional sentences are always a struggle for me, so I hope it’s not that bad. If it is just let me know.


End file.
